When you puppy is biting you, as they all do as puppies, the first and second correction should be a very loud "OUCH!!" loud enough to startle the puppy, if this doesn’t work then proceed to a muzzle pinch by folding his/her lip over enough that he is in contact with his sharp little teeth, all the while using a loud voice saying "NO BITE"
	We would strongly advise that all new buyers attend a Puppy Kindergarten class as soon as the puppies are eligible (different trainers have different requirements as for the appropriate age) This will help to socialize your puppy to other people and other dogs, a huge benefit to Ridgebacks.
	It is important to live by the edict of "3 new places, 3 new people at a MINIMUM, every week" Encourage your puppy to be a good canine citizen by bring him/her along will all your family activities, in the back of the car when you go to anywhere. This will not create a Ridgeback that will fail you in a crisis situation. But if you do not expose a Ridgeback puppy to enormous amounts and different types of situations, you will have a Ridgeback that will fall very short of their potential, perhaps so much so that you are not happy with them.
	While Ridgebacks are independent dogs, after personal experience with a rescue dog and hearing of another, I feel it is important to offer some advice to prevent your puppy from suffering from separation anxiety. Just as with other skills, you must teach a Ridgeback to accept being alone. Your Ridgeback will want to be with you always, and they must learn that he/she’s not going to die if you leave them alone for awhile. You must teach them that it’s okay to be alone in their crate for a few hours at a time. If your puppy is a softer puppy that shows any kind of fear or insecurity in new situations, DO NOT fuss over them, in fact ignore the "bad" behavior of fear, praise and fuss with the pup when they start to turn the corner and show confidence.

 

	Obedience classes, and puppy kindergarten are wonderful opportunities for those puppies that are not dominant to gain courage and confidence by learning skills, just like children.
	Learn how to use a choke collar properly, they are appropriate and humane. Understand that a dog pulling on a standard buckle collar is not an acceptable alternative, they will learn to pull, and they will eventually pull you along. If allowed to continue, this can seriously damage the dogs trachea.
	You have all seen our property in the woods. Despite it being the prime location for fleas and ticks, we have had very few problems with our Ridgebacks. Please do not use monthly flea and tick treatments, either orally or topically, unless you have an established problem. If you are routinely finding fleas on your dog, please treat with a short acting spray first. Check your dogs daily, and treat as needed, don’t just assume that you will have a problem and use toxic chemicals.

 

 

	We recommend crate training, and the puppies are already getting use to sleeping in a crate. Currently what we do is to place the crate on the floor beside our bed, if the puppy begins to cry, correct him by tapping on the crate, when he quiets down, praise him.
	Ridgeback puppies are very easy to housebreak, and are already at 8 weeks old, very limited in the number of accidents in the house. The best way help them is to anticipate their needs, but they are beginning to show signs of "needing to go" by approaching the door they know lead outside. The key is to keep a very close eye on them, when ever they are not in their crates, or asleep.
	A strong willed Ridgeback puppy is cute, a growling, feisty, 15 pound puppy is cute, but it is NOT so cute when it’s a 95 pound strong willed adult Ridgeback. Be careful not to encourage ANY aggressive behavior, even during play times, with your Ridgeback.